Clyde Young

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Artist Statement

I hope that each piece I do brings people a little more understanding of Nuxalk people, our history, our stories and our origins. As I learn our stories I try to place them into my work to help portray that to other people, and to myself

Bio

Clyde Young is talented artist of Nuxalk heritage who has deep roots in the Bella Coola Valley - his mother was from the Mack family of Noosgulch and his father, of Chinese descent, was born in the Saloompt River Valley.

Clyde is a self-taught artist with a deep appreciation for Nuxalk culture and stories, saying both are the “essence” of his work. He has been carving and creating art for over 25 years, beginning with miniature masks which have come to be one of his signature pieces and can now be found all over the globe.

He most often works with wood, yellow and red cedar, but you can also find him experimenting in all sorts of mediums including bone, antler, stone, glass, even mirrors. He describes his style as “modern, but with an old-world feel,” and, having been raised on the land, animals his most treasured subjects.

Clyde describes himself as a “lifelong learner” and is constantly striving to broaden his knowledge of Nuxalk language and history, and this is evident in the depth and sincerity of his work. Community members often come to Clyde for ceremonial potlatch masks, his most recent being a Wolf mask that was danced at the Snow Potlatch in Bella Coola.